Autumnal Reviver cocktail (chilled version). Photo: Winter Caplanson
Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine partnered with Litchfield Distillery to infuse vanilla beans with their small-batch, CT-crafted Bourbon Whiskey, Maple Bourbon, Coffee Bourbon, and Vodka. The results were as sublime as you might imagine!
The cocktail pictured is the Autumnal Reviver. The version that appeared in the magazine is chilled, but Jessica Cote, assistant general manager and bartender at Birch Hill Tavern in Glastonbury, re-imagined the original recipe as a warm cocktail you’ll want to sip fireside.
Jessica Cote of Birch Hill Tavern in Glastonbury. Photo: Winter Caplanson
Warm Autumnal Reviver
Ingredients
Makes 1 cocktail
- 1/2 oz. Demerara Simple Syrup with fig and black peppercorns (see recipe below)
- 3 oz. apple cider (or you can substitute a seasonal tea like apple or chamomile)
- 2 oz. vanilla-infused Bourbon (We used Litchfield Distillery's Maple Bourbon. You could also add a splash of vanilla extract, if you don’t infuse your bourbon).
- 1 dash orange bitters
Instructions
To make the Demerara Syrup
- Combine equal parts Demerara sugar and water, ½ cup of fresh or dried figs and 12 whole peppercorns. Let sugar dissolve over medium heat. Strain, and keep refrigerated until needed.
For the cocktail
- Warm the apple cider in a saucepan or microwave to almost a simmer. Combine all ingredients and garnish with fig and apple slices.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Winter Caplanson of Connecticut Food & Farm. View the Fall 2020 issue for more recipes like this one.